Danny Granger Jr. (born April 20, 1983) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played ten seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He was drafted by the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in 2005 after a two-year college stint at

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. In 2009, Granger averaged 26 points per game on 45 percent shooting and was named an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

and the league's Most Improved Player. An injury to his left knee limited Granger to just five games during the 2012–13 season, and in February 2014, he was traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. He went on to play for the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

and

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

before having short stints with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

and

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in 2015.

High school career

Granger attended Grace King High School in

Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is ...

. A four-year letterman at Grace King, he averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game as a senior. He was a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

nominee before his senior year. He scored a 30 on his ACT and was accepted to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

College career

Granger made the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

All-Freshman team for Bradley in 2001–02, averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. He was a highly publicized transfer to

after the first semester of his sophomore season, having averaged 19.2 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Braves. He wasn't eligible to start playing for the Lobos until January 2004. He said the reason for the transfer was because of Braves head coach

Jim Les James Alan Les (born August 18, 1963) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the UC Davis Aggies men's team. A former point guard, Les played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after hi ...

's intimidating tactics, including being 'verbally abusive'. Granger averaged a career-best 19.5 points per game and also led the Lobos in rebounding (9.0 rpg), steals (1.32 spg) and blocks (1.41 bpg) as a junior in 2003–04. He became the first Lobos player to lead the team in all those categories in the same season and was awarded the Bob King Team MVP Award. He also became just the second Lobo in 33 years, and the fifth all-time, to average more than 19 points and nine rebounds for an entire season, joining

Luc Longley Lucien James Longley (born 19 January 1969) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He was the first Australian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played for four teams over 10 seasons. He m ...

, Willie Long,

Mel Daniels Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bas ...

and Ira Harge. A First Team All-

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

selection, Granger was twice named the league's Player of the Week for the weeks ending December 22 and January 25. As a senior in 2004–05, Granger was the only player in the NCAA to average at least 18.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while also averaging at least 2.0 blocks (2.1), 2.0 steals (2.0) and 2.0 assists (2.0). He led the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots for the second year in a row. He became the first player in school history to record 60+ assists, blocks and steals in a season. In 52 games, he registered 91 career blocked shots, ranking sixth all-time in New Mexico history. He fell just six points short of 1,000 in his New Mexico career, and for the second year in a row, he was given the Bob King Team MVP Award. He was named the MWC tournament MVP and earned First Team All-Mountain West honors for the second straight year. He was also runner-up to

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

Andrew Bogut Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). Bogut spent the majority of his career in t ...

as MWC Player of the Year.

College career statistics

, - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" rowspan=2, Bradley , 21 , , 17 , , 24.6 , , .446 , , .176 , , .790 , , 7.1 , , .7 , , 1.3 , , 2.4 , , 11.1 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , 14 , , 13 , , 27.1 , , .518 , , .300 , , .684 , , 7.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , 19.2 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" rowspan=2,

, 22 , , 22 , , 32.0 , , .491 , , .333 , , .760 , , 9.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , 1.4 , , 19.5 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , 30 , , 30 , , 30.0 , , .524 , , .433 , , .755 , , 8.9 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , 2.0 , , 18.8 , - , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 95 , , 82 , , 28.4 , , .496 , , .366 , , .752 , , 8.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.9 , , 16.7

NBA career

Indiana Pacers (2005–2014)

Early years (2005–07)

Granger was selected 17th overall in the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

by the

. He was named to the

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

after averaging 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 78 games. He was a starter in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Houston on February 17, 2006, where he had nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in six minutes, and shot 2-of-4 from 3-point range. In 2006–07, Granger became one of only four Pacers players to hit 100+ 3-point field goals in a season in the previous 15 years. He led Indiana with 110, after making just 30 3-pointers in his rookie season. He was the only Pacers player to see action in all 82 games; he started 57 games, including the first 14 and 42 of the last 44 games.

Perennial team scoring leader (2007–12)

In 2007–08, Granger was the team's leading scorer with an average of 19.6 points per game. On November 5, 2007, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Tuesday, October 30 through Sunday, November 4. It was his first and only NBA Player of the Week honor. He set a franchise record by making 65 straight free throws (January 21 to February 22), breaking the record set by

Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year career in the National Basketball Assoc ...

in 2005. On October 31, 2008, Granger signed a five-year contract extension with the Pacers believed to be worth a guaranteed $60 million. The new contract began in 2009–10, with incentives that could have pushed the total closer to $65 million. Danny Granger

In 2008–09, Granger became the first player in NBA history to lift his scoring average at least five points per game in three consecutive seasons, and the first Indiana player to average more than 25 points per game in more than 30 years. He ranked fifth in the NBA with 25.8 points and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player. His average was the highest by an Indiana player since

Billy Knight William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he ...

's single-season team record of 26.6 points per game in 1976–77. Granger scored 20 or more points in a career-high 16 straight games from December 15 to January 19, tying the longest streak in the Pacers' NBA history. In a three-game span from January 3 to 7, he scored 35 or more points in each game and is the only Pacers player to ever do so. In February 2009, he played in his first and only

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted each February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's All-star, star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of ...

. He missed a total of 15 games due to injury or illness, including 11 in February and March with a torn tendon in his right foot. In 2009–10, Granger led the Pacers with 24.1 points per game, eighth best in the NBA and third best in the Eastern Conference. He scored 20 or more points in 45 of 62 appearances and scored 30+ points 16 times. He tallied a career-high 44 points against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

on March 26, 2010. He missed a total of 18 games due to injury or illness, including 16 straight in December and January with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. In the summer of 2010, Granger won gold as a member of the US national team at the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the List of men's national basketball teams, men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 Septem ...

. In 2010–11, Granger was the Pacers' leading scorer for the fourth season in a row, with 20.5 points per game, which was 16th best in the NBA and his third consecutive season of 20+ points per game. He scored in double figures in all but four games and tallied 20 or more points 39 times with 30+ points nine times. On January 2, 2011, he grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in a 98–92 loss to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

In the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Granger was the Pacers' leading scorer for the fifth consecutive season—his 18.7 points per game ranked 22nd best in the NBA.

Injury-riddled end to Pacers tenure (2012–14)

Granger missed the first 55 games of the 2012–13 season with tendinosis of the left knee. He played five games between February 23 and March 3 before being placed back on the inactive list and eventually having surgery on the knee on April 4. Granger missed the first 25 games of the 2013–14 season with a strained left calf. Indiana fans gave Granger a standing ovation on December 20 when he made his season debut in the first quarter of the Pacers' 114–81 win over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, and chanted his name when he finally made his first basket, a 3-pointer, early in the fourth. He appeared in 29 games (2 starts) for the Pacers in 2013–14, averaging 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.5 minutes per game.

Los Angeles Clippers (2014)

On February 20, 2014, Granger was traded, along with a 2015 second-round pick, to the

in exchange for

Evan Turner Evan Marcel Turner (born October 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted second overall ...

and Lavoy Allen. He was bought out by the 76ers on February 26, and two days later, he signed with the

for the rest of the season.

Miami Heat (2014–2015)

On July 14, 2014, Granger signed with the

. On February 19, 2015, he was traded to the

in a three-team trade involving the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. However, due to knee problems, he did not play for the Suns in 2014–15. On July 9, 2015, he was traded to the

, along with Reggie Bullock and Marcus Morris, in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick. He spent the preseason in Arizona rehabbing from knee and foot injuries, and on October 26, 2015, he was waived by the Pistons.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 78 , , 17 , , 22.6 , , .462 , , .323 , , .777 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .8 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 57 , , 34.0 , , .459 , , .382 , , .803 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .7 , , 13.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 80 , , 36.0 , , .446 , , .404 , , .852 , , 6.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 19.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 67 , , 66 , , 36.2 , , .447 , , .404 , , .878 , , 5.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , 25.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 62 , , 36.7 , , .428 , , .361 , , .848 , , 5.5 , , 2.8 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 24.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 79 , , 79 , , 35.0 , , .425 , , .386 , , .848 , , 5.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 20.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 62 , , 33.3 , , .416 , , .381 , , .873 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .286 , , .200 , , .625 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 2 , , 22.5 , , .359 , , .330 , , .962 , , 3.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .4 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 12 , , 0 , , 16.2 , , .429 , , .353 , , .857 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 30 , , 6 , , 20.4 , , .401 , , .357 , , .757 , , 2.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 6.3 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 586 , , 431 , , 31.5 , , .434 , , .380 , , .848 , , 4.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 16.8 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 2.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, align="left" ,

, 6 , , 3 , , 27.0 , , .529 , , .563 , , 1.000 , , 5.2 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 8.2 , - , align="left" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 36.6 , , .478 , , .348 , , .875 , , 5.6 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 21.6 , - , align="left" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, align="left" ,

, 11 , , 11 , , 38.2 , , .397 , , .356 , , .821 , , 5.6 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .4 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 13 , , 0 , , 10.3 , , .275 , , .227 , , .778 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .5 , , .1 , , 2.6 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 35 , , 19 , , 25.7 , , .417 , , .358 , , .842 , , 4.0 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 10.8

Personal life

Granger became one of Jehovah's Witnesses later in life. Granger's younger brother, Scotty, is a musical artist and songwriter. Granger is the great-nephew of the "Queen of Gospel",

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...

. Granger has a wife and three children. Granger is actively involved in the "Dribble to Stop Diabetes" campaign due to his family's history with diabetes. On the side, toward the end of his playing career, Granger built up a real estate investment company. In January 2017, Granger began working as a studio and game analyst for the

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports ...

. In April 2017, Granger was inducted into New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Danny Granger
at nba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, Danny 1983 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from New Orleans Bradley Braves men's basketball players FIBA World Championship–winning players Grace King High School alumni Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Clippers players Miami Heat players NBA All-Stars New Mexico Lobos men's basketball players Sportspeople from Metairie, Louisiana Small forwards United States men's national basketball team players 2010 FIBA World Championship players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen

High school career

College career

College career statistics

NBA career

Indiana Pacers (2005–2014)

Early years (2005–07)

Perennial team scoring leader (2007–12)

Injury-riddled end to Pacers tenure (2012–14)

Los Angeles Clippers (2014)

Miami Heat (2014–2015)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links